Sign for 2012 Slicer Sale. (Sterling McCall Toyota)
If these cars were any cheaper, they’d have to give them away.
Or at least accept coins as payment.
Sterling McCall Toyota in Houston is getting ready for its annual Black Friday promotion when it offers used cars for as little as $1.
Automotive News reports the dealer has been holding its “Slicer Sale” since 2008, and it gets more and more popular each year.
The way it works is used car manager Dan Minner walks through the lot with a black marker changing prices on the cars as he’s followed by a mob of customers waiting to jump on the big deal, but they can also run ahead and sit in the car of their choice, earning first dibs on the surprise sale price.
While up to 200 cars have their prices “sliced,” only three go for $1, and they’re usually 10-year or older rides. Another ten are sold for less than $1,000, while at least 50 are priced under $10,000.
The dealership’s general manager says they came up with the idea when they learned Black Friday was a huge shopping day for pretty much everything but cars, and wanted to find away to get a piece of the action without spending too much on advertising.
The buzz created by the audacity of the $1 sale has turned it into such a major event that it’s covered by the local TV stations in Houston, and you're reading about it here, aren't you?
"Think about what three cars might cost and factor that into what a TV ad or mass media would cost," DeLongchamps told Automotive News. "It's a feel-good, drive-traffic annual event."